Monday, December 16, 2013

Sheila over at Book Journey
hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books
that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that
you are looking forward to picking up next.

What I finished:

Our last book club selection was The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and I absolutely loved this book! Unfortunately, because of the snow we had to reschedule our book club night, putting it on an evening that I was to be out of town. I will have to catch up with the ladies next month to see how everyone enjoyed it.

What I'm reading now:

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve is our next book club selection so I decided to get started on this one right away. Shreve is one of my favorite authors.

What's next:

I wanted to read The Funeral Dress by Susan Gregg Gilmore after my last book club book, but I ran out of time! We will see how that works out this month!

You may have noticed that I haven't been able to post much lately, so my apologies! Life gets in the way and I guess there isn't much I can do about that. I know I didn't post any reviews last week but I am going to try to continue to post at least one a week. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:The author speaks the local language and has interviewed and
conversed with hundreds of Afghans, both men and women. She listened to
their stories and lived among them. And in the midst of all of that, she
found Kingdom responses to the beliefs Afghani Muslims hold to be true.

Riveting and fast paced, In the Land of Blue Burqas depicts
sharing the love and truth of Christ with women living in Afghanistan
which has been called "the world's most dangerous country in which to be
born a woman." These stories are honest and true. The harsh reality of
their lives is not sugar-coated and that adds to the impact of the book.
Through storytelling the author shows how people who don't know Christ
come to see Him, His truth and His beauty. The stories provide insight
into how a Jesus-follower brought Jesus' teachings of the Kingdom of God
to Afghanistan. They reveal the splendor of Christ, the desire of human
hearts, and that precious instance where the two meet.

This is a
collection of vignettes tethered together by the real danger that
muslim women face in Afghanistan. These are firsthand accounts from the
authors experience drawn from living among these women. The reader will
see just how revolutionary Christ's message is today, and how radical it
was during Christ's lifetime - the present day Afghan cultural
attitudes are not unlike they were 2000 years ago. All of the names of
those involved - including Kate's - plus the locations have been changed
to protect the participants. Just take a few minutes and read the
opening pages. You'll be hooked.

My Review:
What would it be like to be immersed in a society where everyone has different values and beliefs than you? The author of In the Land of Blue Burqas shares her experience with us. In an effort to protect herself and anyone who may have helped her she has taken on the pseudonym of Kate McCord.

As a christian I hear so many negative things about Muslims. I do understand that they have different ideals and goals than we do, but I struggle to think that every Muslim in the world wants me dead. As McCord has conversations with Muslims about them praying for her demise, she confronts them in a logical way that does not make them defensive. Although many admitted to the truth of their violent prayers, she also developed close friendships with many others.

While McCord lived in Afganistan working for a NPO, she had to learn about the Muslim way of life. She found a way to do this that allowed her to share her faith at the same time. It was interesting to finally hear some facts about the Muslim way of life. Did you know that they actually believe that Jesus is a prophet? There is quite a difference as to what they believe Jesus will accomplish when he does return.

I enjoyed this book that documents McCord's non-judgmental journey. My book club consists of mostly christian ladies so the book was enjoyed by everyone. With themes of faith and cultural differences I believe that many of you would enjoy this book as much as I did. I highly recommend this book for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.

My Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: This book is from my personal library and I read it for my own entertainment and as a book club discussion.